CHM and the Affordable Care Act

As a health care sharing ministry, Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is in the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the PPACA, more commonly known as Obamacare) as an acceptable option to meet the law's individual mandate for health cost coverage. Christian Healthcare Ministries is a faith-based, voluntary cost sharing ministry that has thousands of members in all 50 states.

CHM received notification from the federal government's Department of Health and Human Services that says, "...the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has determined that Christian Healthcare Ministries has submitted sufficient information to substantiate its compliance with the standards specified in section 5000A(d)(2)(B)(ii) of the Code [i.e. the PPACA] and will be considered a health care sharing ministry for the purposes of subpart G of 45 CFR part 155."

(2) Religious exemptions
(B) Health care sharing ministry.
(i) In general: Such term [note: "term" refers to "penalty"] shall not include any individual for any month if such individual is a member of a health care sharing ministry for the month.
(ii) Health care sharing ministry: The term "health care sharing ministry" means an organization:
(I) which is described in section 501(c)(3) and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a),
(II) members of which share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs and share medical expenses among members in accordance with those beliefs and without regard to the State in which a member resides or is employed,
(III) members of which retain membership even after they develop a medical condition,
(IV) which (or a predecessor of which) has been in existence at all times since December 31, 1999, and medical expenses of its members have been shared continuously and without interruption since at least December 31, 1999, and
(V) which conducts an annual audit which is performed by an independent certified public accounting firm in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and which is made available to the public upon request.

Tax Reform

The tax bill regarding the ACA's individual mandate passed by Congress on Dec. 20, 2017 doesn't affect CHM members. The ACA's financial penalty remains in effect until Dec. 31, 2018 for those without health cost support; however, CHM members aren't and have never been subject to the financial penalty. Nothing in the bill changes how CHM operates, who we serve, or how we serve you.